Couch-bed.



. G. L. PLUNKETT.

0011011 BED. 7 APPLICATION FILED D110. 2, 1908.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911. .52 /1 CHARLES L. PLUNKETI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN COUCH COM- PANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COUCH-BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

Application filed December 2, 1908. Serial No. 465,633.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. PLUNK- ETT, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Couch-Beds, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to couch beds, and more particularly to that class of couch beds in which one section is movable with relation to the other to form either a double or a single bed or couch, the object of the present invention being to provide an improved couch bed in which one section slides on top former, however, shiftable between a side bar and the metallic fabric of such other section with means for opening and closing said sections.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure of the character described with a folding mattress which will be opened and closed simultaneously with the opening and closing of the bed by the same means which accomplishes the latter.

In sliding couch beds now well known to the trade it has been the practice to provide a movable and a stationary bed section, the former, however, slidable between a side bar and a metallic fabric of the stationary bed section, and to also provide a pair of bed sections one linked to the other whereby one will swing in the arc of a circle relatively to the other, but this requires the bodily lifting of the swinging section, which calls for considerable strength when the mattress is carried on the shiftable section.

In the present improvement the movable section does not slide between a side bar and the metallic fabric of the stationary section, but rests upon such stationary or main section and slides from on top thereof into a position alongside of it, suitable means being provided for shifting the movable section, which means also, in the present embodiment, opens and closes the folding mattress.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is an end view of this improved couch bed closed to form a couch; Fig. 2 is an end view thereof open to form a double bed; Fig. 3 is a perspective view with the major part of the yielding mattress supporting means removed, the bed being partly open; and Fig. i ii a detail view of a part of one end of the Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the difierent figures of the drawings.

In the present embodiment the stationary and movable sections of the bed, 2 and 3 respectively, are substantially alike, except that the movable section is provided in the construction shown with but two legs or supports. Each section is therefore made up of a pair of end frames & and 5, each end frame of the main section comprising a pair of legs 6 and 7 and a horizontal fabric supporting bar 8, while each end frame of the movable or extensible section has one leg 9 at the outer end of the horizontal mattress supporting bars, each of which is, in this instance, made'np of a pair of bars 13 and 13, these legs being connected by a side bar 10, as are also the legs 6 and 7 of the stationary section. The legs of each end frame of the main section are also connected by cross bars 11. Between the fabric supporting bars 8 of the main section a suitable metallic fabric 12 or other yielding mattress supporting means is stretched, and between the fabric supporting bars 13 of the extensible section a similar metallic fabric 15 or other yielding mattress supporting means is stretched, the latter fabric 15 resting upon and therefore above the metallic fabric 12 of the main section.

For guiding the movable section relatively to the main section the latter is provided at each end thereof with a guide rail or flange 17, and the metallic fabric carrying bars 13 of the extensible section are shown, in the present instance, as of angle iron formation and located on the inside of the guide bars 17, (see Fig. 4:) being connected by suitable rivets 18 to the bars 13. By this means the extensible section is properly guided during the shifting thereof toward and from the main section, each flange 17 of the main section being located between the end frame bars 13 and 13 of the extensible section to form guides or brackets therefor, and owing to the parallel location of these bars 13 and 13, which thus overlap the flange 17 of the main section, the necessity of providing additional side bars for the extensible section to prevent the stretched metallic fabric from drawing the end frames toward each other, is obviated, as will be readily understood by an inspection of the drawings.

To permit the extensible section to be brought into position where its metallic fabric will be substantially level with that of the main section, the inner ends of the metallic fabric carrying bars 13 of said extensible section are inclined as at 20, terminating in a straight portion 21, whereby as the extensible section is drawn from on top of the main section such extensible section will gradually slide down by reason of the inclination of the cross bars 13 and so permit its casters 22 to rest upon the floor and support the section with the metallic fabrics of the two sections substantially level. This inclination of the cross bars at the inner ends thereof also facilitates the closing up of the sections without the necessity of bodily raising the extensible section.

For shifting the extensible section toward and from the main section suitable means is provided, which, in the present instance, comprises a swinging bar 23, the ends of which are pivotally connected, as at 24, to the end frames of the extensible section adjacent to the inner ends thereof. This bar is connected by a pair of links 25 with the main or stationary section. These links, in the present embodiment, are shown as slide links, sliding in ways 26 of brackets 27 secured to the end frames of the main or stationary section. On the shifting of the bar 23 from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2 the extensible or sliding section will be shifted away from the main section to form a double bed, and on reversing the swinging movement of the bar the extensible section will be carried on top of the main section.

Carried by the shiftable or extensible section is a folding mat-tress 2S fixedly secured thereto. This mattress is made in two parts 29 and 30 hinged together along the inner edges thereof, as at 31, thereby forming what is usually called a book mattress, the upper half or part of this mattress being connected at its outer edge, as at 32, with the swinging bar 23, whereby as the bar is swung to open or close the nesting bed sections the mattress will be likewise opened or closed in a manner which will be readily understood. It will also be observed that in the present instance, as the extensible section is shifted outwardly one part of the folding mattress is shifted in the opposite direction to spread the same onto the extended section.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a couch bed, the combination of a pair of nesting bed sections, one a stationary section and the other a movable section, the latter resting on top of the stationary section, and means for shifting the movable section from a position on top of said stationary section to a position alongside thereof, said means comprising a swinging bar and a pair of upright sliding links connected to said stationary section.

2. In a couch bed, the combination of a pair of nesting bed sections, one a stationary sect-ion and the other a movable section, the latter resting on top of the stationary section, and means for shifting the movable section from a position on top of said stationary sect-ion to a position alongside thereof, said means comprising a swinging bar pivoted to the movable section and a pair of vertically sliding links connected with the stationary section.

3. In a couch bed, the combination of a pair of nesting bed sections, one a stationary section and the other a sliding section, each having yielding mattress supporting means, that of the sliding section resting horizontally over the top of the stationary section and shiftable to a position alongside thereof, a sectional mattress for said bed, and means connected to the sections and to said sectional mattress for shifting such sliding section andopening and closing said mattress, said means comprising avswinging bar connected with one of said sections and in position to be grasped and manipulated by the user and a pair of links connected with said bar and having a sliding connection with the other of said sections.

4:. In a couch bed, the combination of a pair of bed sections, one a stationary section and the other a sliding section, each having yielding mattress supporting means, that of the sliding section resting horizontally over the top of the stationary section and shiftable to a position alongside thereof, a sectional mattress for said bed, and means for shifting said sliding section and one section of the sectional mattress in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the sliding section, and comprising means connected to one section and linked to the other section.

5. In a couch bed, the combination of a pair of sections one a stationary section and the other a sliding section, the latter resting on top of the stationary section and shiftable to a position alongside thereof, means for guiding said sections, a sectional mattress carried by the sliding section, and ,meansfor shifting said sliding section and shifting one section of the mattress in a direction opposite to the direct-ion of movement of the sliding section and comprising a swinging bar pivoted to the sliding section and connected to the mattress, and links connecting said bar to the stationary section;

6. In a couch bed, the combination of a pair of bed sections, one a stationary section and the other a movable section, each made up of end frames having legs, each end frame of the movable section comprising horizontal bars spaced apart and each end frame of the stationary section having a flange located between the bars of the movable section, yielding mattress supporting means carried by each of said sections, that of the movable section being located on top of that of the stationary section, and means for sliding the movable section from a posi tion on top of the stationary section to a position alongside thereof, said means comprising a swinging bar pivotally connected to the movable section, apair of links pivotally connected to said bar, and brackets secured to the stationary section and having ways for the reception of said sliding links.

7 In a couch bed, the combination of a pair of bed sections, one a stationary section and the other a movable section, each made up of end frames having legs, each end frame of the movable section comprising horizontal bars spaced apart and each end frame of the stationary section having a flange located between the bars of the movable section, yielding mattress supporting means carried by each of said sections, that of the movable section being located on top of that of the stationary section, and means for sliding the movable section from a position on top of the stationary section to a position alongside thereof, said means comprising a swinging bar pivotally connected to the movable section, a pair of links pivotally connected to said bar, and brackets secured to the stationary section and having ways for the reception of said sliding links, one of each pair of spaced bars of the movable section having a tapered inner end.

8. In a couch bed, the combination of a pair of bed sections, one a stationary section and the other a movable section, each made up of end frames having legs, each end frame of the movable section comprising horizontal bars spaced apart and each end frame of the stationary section having a flange located between the bars of the movable section, yielding mattress supporting means carried by each of said sections, that of the movable section being located on top of that of the stationary section, and means for sliding the movable section from a position on top of the stationary section to a position alongside thereof, said means comprising a swinging bar pivotally connected to the movable section, a pair of links pivotally connected to said bar, and brackets secured to the stationary section and having ways for the reception of said sliding links, one of each pair of spaced bars of the movable section having a tapered inner end terminating in a straight portion.

9. In a couch bed, the combination of a pair of bed sections, one a stationary section and the other a movable section, each made up of end frames having legs, each end frame of the movable section comprising horizontal bars spaced apart and each end frame of the stationary section having a flange located between the bars of the movable section, yielding mattress supporting means carried by each of said sections, that of the movable section being located on top of that of the stationary section, and means for sliding the movable section from a position on top of the stationary section to a position alongside thereof, said means comprising a swinging bar pivotally connected to the movable section, a pair of links pivotally connected to said bar and brackets secured to the stationary sectionand having ways for the reception of said sliding links, a folding mattress for said bed carried by the movable section and connectedto said swinging bar and opened and gltzised on the opening and closing of the 10. In a couch bed, the combination of a pair of bed sections, one a stationary section and the other a movable section, each made up of end frames having legs, each end frame of the movable section comprising horizontal bars spaced apart and each end frame of the stationary section having a flange located between the bars of the movable section, yielding mattress supporting means carried by each of said sections, that of the movable section being located on top of that of the stationary section, means for sliding the movable section from a position on top of the stationary section to a position alongside thereof, said means comprising a swinging bar pivotally connected to the movable section, a pair of links pivotally connected to said bar and brackets secured to the stationary section and having ways for the reception of said sliding links, one of each pair of spaced bars of the movable section having a tapered inner end, and a folding mattress for said bed carried by the movable section and connected to said swinging bar and opened and closed on the opening and closing of the bed.

11. In a couch bed, the combination of a pair of bed sections, one a stationary section and the other a movable section, each made up of end frames having legs, each end frame of the movable section comprising horizontal bars spaced apart and each end frame of the stationary section having a flange located between the bars of the movable section, yielding mattress supporting means carried by each of said sections, that of the movable section being located on top of that of the stationary section, means for sliding the movable section from a position on top of the stationary section to a position alongside thereof, said means comprising a swinging bar pivotally connected to the movable section, a pair of links pivotally connected to said bar and brackets secured to the stationary section and having Ways for the reception of said sliding links, one of each pair of spaced bars of the movable section having a tapered inner end terminatingin a straight portion, and a folding mattress for said bed carried by the movable sect-ion and connected to said swinging bar and opened and closed on the opening and closing of the bed.

12. In a couch bed, the combination of a pair of bed sections comprising a stationary section and a sliding section, the latter shiftable from a position on top of the stationary section to a position alongside thereof,

means for shifting said sliding section, and a folding mattress carried on top of the sliding section and one half thereof connected to said means and shiftable by said means in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the sliding section on the shifting of said section.

Signed at 9 to 15 Murray street, New York, N. Y., November 28th, 1908.

CHARLES L. PLUNKETT.

Witnesses:

C. A. WEED, F. E. BoYoE. 

